Chusetts



4 (No Model.) 2 Sheeta-Sheet 1-.

G. A. CUMMINGS 84 W. H. HILL. HOUSE DOOR'LETTER Box.

No. 474,949. Patented May 17. 1892.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. A. CUMMINGS & w. H. HILL.

HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX- No. 474,949. Patented May 17, 1892.

Hun.

wwwaowo I I amoewfotd/ 2 I 010m? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. CUMMINGS AND WILLIAM H. HILL, OF YVORCESTER, MASSA- CHUSETTS.

HOUSE-DOOR LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 474,949, dated May 17,1892.

' Application filed February 26, 1891. Serial No. 382,918. on model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. CUM- MINGS and WILLIAM H. HILL, bothcitizens of the United States, residing at Worcester,

in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have jointlyinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes;

and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof,

which, inconnection with the drawings, making a part of thisspecification, will enable others skilled in the art to which ourinvention belongs to make and use the same.

7 Our invention relates to letter-boxes; and

1 5 the object of our invention is to provide a simple and convenientletter-box containing two separate compartments, each adapted to belocked and operated independently of the other. One of said compartmentsis to hold mail-matter to be collected by the postman and the other tohold mail-matter delivered by the postman; also to provide a signalattachment to be used in connection with the letter-box for notifyingthe postman from a distance if there is any mail-matter to be collectedby him from the box.

Our invention consists in certain novel features of construction andoperation of a letter-box of the description above referred to,

0 as will be hereinafter fully described.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of our letter-boxwith the signal attachment displayed and in its elevated position. Fig.2 is a side view looking in the di- 5 reotion of arrow at, Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a front view of the letter-box with the cover open and one of thecompartments partially raised out of the box, and Fig. 4 is a top viewof the box with the cover open.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 is the letter-box proper, preferablymade of sheet metal. Said box is open at its upper end and provided witha hinged cover 2, adapted to shut down over said open end, as shown inthe 5 drawings. A spring-holder 3 for holding newspapers and packagesmay be secured to the lower part of the box 1 in the ordinary way. Inthe lower front part of said box 1 may be inserted a transparent disk 4to per- 5c mit of seeing the interior of the box.

Combined with the letter-box proper 1 are two inclosed compartments orreceptacles 5 and 6, "made'independently of the letter-box 1 and adaptedto extend vertically in the box 1 and side by side, as shown in thedrawings, and adapted to be moved up or down therein,

in this instance by means of rings 7 and 8, secured on the top part ofsaid compartments. The inclosed receptacles 5 and 6 may be raised out ofand removed from theletter-box proper 6o 1, if desired,to empty thecontents of said receptacles. Each of the compartments 5 and 6 have,preferably, solid sides, a solid bottom, and a solid top having a narrowslot 9 therein, extending in a direction from the back to g the front ofthe compartments. Through said slot 9 the mall-matter is passed totheinterior of the compartments. r

The front side of the compartments 5 and 6 is preferably made open fromthe top to the '70 bottom of the compartments for the free introductionof the hand when the compartment is raised, as shown in Fig. 3, toremove the mail-matter contained therein, and it also permits of theinterior of each of the boxes being seen through the disk 4, as the diskis large enough to extend beyond the adjacent sides of the twocompartments, as shown in. Fig.1. A hasp 10 issecured upon the front topedge of each of the compartments 5 and 6, which hasp is preferablyengaged automatically by a lock 11one for each compartmentsecured in thefront upper part of the letter-box 1. The locks 11 may be of anyordinary construction'and operation.

Combined with the letter-box 1 is a signal attachment movable from apoint within the outline of the box to a point beyond the outline tonotifythe postman when said signal is displayed if there is anymail-matter in the box to be collected by him. In the present instancewe have combined our signal attachment with the cot'er 2 of the box, andsaid signal attachment in this instance consists of a flat piece ofmetal or other material 5 12, hinged at its lower end on the cover 2.

Said signal 12 is adapted to be raised independently of the cover andremain in an upright position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or to belowered, so as to rest upon the cover, as too shown by dotted lines,Fig. 2. The signal 12 is preferably hinged on the rear part of thesition the raising of the cover will bring the. signal against the wallor support to which the letter-boxis secured and close said signalagainst the cover, so that the closing of the cover will also close thesignal, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2.

The signal attachment 12 is operated independently of the operation ofthe letter-box box or removed therefrom without operating the signalattachment 12. In this instance the signal attachment, being connectedwith the hinge-cover 2, will move with said cover when the same is openor closed, butwill not separate operation. It will thus beseen that theoperation-of the signal attachment is independentof the operation of theletter-box. I

The box. 1 is preferably provided with a cleat 13 upon its rear part forattaching the box to the wall or support by screws passing H throughsaid cleat from the inside of .the'box orotherwise.

The advantages of our improved letter-box 1' will be readily appreciatedby those skilled in the art.

We provide in a single letter-box two separate compartments made andoperated incle-1 pendently of each other and each one provided with aseparate and independent lock,

said locks arranged side by side on the front livery, and the key to thelock of this compartment, which may be different from the lock of theother compartment, is carried or:

in the possession of the party or parties who use the letter-box. thepostman onlyhas access to the collectioncompartment to remove the mailtherefrom, and in practice the collection-compartments of all theletter-boxes on the postmans route may be unlocked by the same key, thusdoing away with the necessity of thepostman carrying a number ofdifferent keys.

By means of the signal attachment when the same is displayed, thepostmanis notified from a distance that there is mail-matter to hecollected by him from the box. In case there is no mail-matter to becollected by him from the box the signal is not displayed, and

It will thus be seen that then if he has no mail-matter todeliver he issaved the unnecessary steps and time required to go to the box to see ifthere is any 1nail-matter to be collected.

We do not limit ourselves to the special way of combining the signalattachment with the box as shown in the drawings, as any'otherequivalent way may be employed, and any form or design of signal may beused in connection with the box to notify the postman of a collection tobe made.

By having the slots 9 extending from the back to the front of thecompartment instead properthat is, letters or mail-matter may be placedwithin the receptacles in the letter- 1 of from side to side, as iscustomary, we are enabled to arrange the two compartments side by side,and have the locks for the same on the front side of the letter-box.proper, where they are easy of access.

It willbe understood thatxthe details ofconstruction' of our'le'tter-boxcan be-variedsome be raised to display the signal except by a from whatis shown and described, if desired,

without departing from the principles of our invention.

A spring may be combined with the lower end of eachof the compartments5.and .6, so that when said compartments are unlocked they will beforced up without the necessity of raising them by hand.

' Having thusdescribedour inventiomwhat we claim as new, and desire tosecure "by Letters Patent, i's

1. In a letter-box, the combinatiom'w-ith a box provided with atransparent disk in its front portion, of two open front receptacles inthe box for the reception of mail, said disk extending over a portion oftheopen frontof each receptacle, whereby the interiorof each receptaclemay be seen through the disk, substantially asset forth.

2. In a letter-box, the combination, with a box provided with atransparent disk in its front portion, of two open front receptacleswithin the box, said disk extending 'over a portion of the open front ofeach receptacle, whereby the interior of said receptacles'may be seenthrough the disk, and a signal attached to the box, said signal beingmovable from a point within the outline of the box to a point beyond theoutline of the box and adapted to be operated independently of thebox,substantially asset forth.

3. In a letter-box, thecombination, with the box or casing, of twocompartments or inclosed receptacles made independently of said box orcasing and adapted to be raised or lowered and locked therein and eachof said .compartments having a receiving-slot therein in its upper endextending in a direction from the back to the frontof the compartment,substantially asset forth.

4. In a letter-box, the combinatiomwith the box or casing open at itsupper endandprovided with a hinged cover, of two compartments orinclosed receptacles extending within said box and placed side by sideand provided with slots in their upper ends extending in a directionfrom theback to the front of said receptacles and provided with anengaged and raised to project above the top opening in their frontsides, substantially as of the box to indicate to thepostman the setforth. presence of mail-matter Within the box, sub- 5. In a letter-box,the combination, with a stantially as set forth. 5 box havin its coverhin ed thereto at the rear, of rec eptacles in the bbx for the receptionCHARLES CUMMINGS 0f mail-matter, and a signal hinged to the HILL coverintermediate its hinge and the front, Witnesses: said signal beingextended just beyond the JOHN C. DEWEY,

to front edge of the cover, whereby it may be CHAS. SHORT, Jr.

